A complete oceanographic Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) instrument package, a winged current meter, and two computers equip a new vessel at the consortium. With this new oceanographic vessel, the instruments are used for undergraduate courses in oceanography during summer sessions and weekend field trips. The basic unit in the new instrument package is a CTD logger, which is battery powered and records data in solid-state memory. The CTD measurements provide depth profiles to identify density differences between the surface photic layer and bottom layer in local coastal waters. Biological and chemical variables are measured simultaneously by adding sensors to the CTD for dissolved oxygen, turbidity (by optical backscattering), photosynthetically active light (PAR), and chlorophyll biomass (by in vivo fluorescence). To measure tidal water exchange through Chincoteague Inlet and thus determine fluxes of chlorophyll, nutrients, and zooplankton biomass, the consortium uses a Niskin winged current meter. One laptop computer initializes the CTD instrument package and provides data transfer at sea, and one desktop computer interfaces winged current meter and data analysis. With these instruments, students learn state-of-the-art research techniques to prepare them for graduate school or employment as research technicians. This project enhances the marine science program at the consortium, through which students at inland institutions are able to gain first hand field experiences in oceanography.
